If I had just arrived from a far-away planet it would be easy to convince me that the people on planet Earth are just crazy about babies. Yes, born and pre-born babies. It has been a big media story about Kate and Prince William expecting their first heir to the throne and not just among royal watchers; the whole world wants to [...]
As a purely anecdotal aside, I’d like to mention that few of the people I know who’ve walked the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrim trail that provides the setting for Emilio Estevez’ film The Way, were actually Catholic, or even appreciably Christian. The Camino has become, in an age of widened horizons but jaded palettes, a kind of extreme tourism destination, [...]
Heather Mallick, a Toronto Star columnist and admitted atheist, dealt with a pro-life issue recently and pleaded with readers: “Quick now, when does life begin?” I hope I can help you, Heather. I’m looking at a black and white picture of a 7-month-old baby boy who was aborted in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 8, 1990. He was 16 inches long with a [...]
When polled, Canadians ranked judges among the most trusted professionals and lawyers among the least. “Don’t Canadians know that judges are lawyers?” Dingwall asked, when I showed him the rankings. “Maybe Canadians think that getting appointed to the judiciary makes lawyers more trustworthy,” I suggested. “But politicians appoint them,” Dingwall said, “and the poll shows that Canadians trust politicians even less [...]
In the 2009 film Up In The Air, George Clooney and co-star Vera Farmiga were enlisted to basically make air miles seem sexy. In Higher Ground, the directorial debut in which Farmiga also stars, she’s set herself an even more difficult task – making an intelligent, general interest film about religious faith. In a featurette included with the film’s DVD release, [...]
There has been a great deal of discussion in Ontario recently about a radical and intrusive sex education curriculum being proposed by the province’s Liberal government. The entire campaign to indoctrinate young people into a gratuitous and obscene version of sexuality has been enormously damaging not only for children, but for parents as well. But what is sometimes forgotten in all [...]
The Way, a low-budget movie starring Martin Sheen, one of the most radical left-wing activists in Hollywood, has won unstinting praise from conservatives like Laura Ingraham, a prominent talk-show host in the United States. At the conclusion of an interview with Sheen and his son, Emilio Estevez, the movie’s writer and director , Ingraham enthused: “There are not many films that I [...]
In the movie version of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, there is a scene in which the captain of the book-burning squad makes off-hand comments on some of the books that are about to be incinerated. In his view, philosophy books are the most pernicious. He pulls down a book from the shelf and cradles it in his hands for a moment [...]
If you were incurably ill and facing impending death, would you want your medical team to continue with aggressive and painful medical treatments in the hope of a miracle cure? Or would you prefer to be placed in palliative care to help you through the inevitable dying process? Most people would opt for palliative care. However, sometimes, close family members of [...]
Former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae, a vocal abortion advocate, is not fondly remembered for his “Rae Days” that introduced the unpopular, controversial public sector wage cuts he implemented in the ‘90s. As interim leader of the federal Liberal Party, Rae gleefully greeted Lise St-Denis, former Shawinigan federal NDP member who defected to the Liberal federal caucus because the late NDP leader, [...]
When I was a reporter, I would do anything for a scoop. I wonder, though, whether the effort was misplaced. A scoop is an exclusive story. But now that inclusiveness is in fashion, exclusiveness may be on the way out. I hope not. Being first with the news was more fun than gossip. To avoid excluding women, our academic and media [...]
I spent one night of my holidays watching the new Bluray re-issue of Meet Me In St. Louis, a film that might be the pinnacle of the MGM colour musical, and is very probably the zenith of Judy Garland’s career. I enjoyed it even more than the last time I saw it, but like almost anything from what’s called Hollywood’s “Golden Age,” [...]
As I write my first column in 2012, and I’d like to introduce a new term, a new concept into the dialogue, the narrative of the Canadian body politic and public conversation. It’s this. Shut up! Yes, I know I sound a little rude, but there we are. As someone who has laboured in the media trenches for some years now, [...]
For years The Interim has carried stories about sex-selective abortions and female feticide. In 1992, we ran an article about a woman who was doing sidewalk counselling in Calgary who was able to talk to a would-be mother of East Indian descent. She did not want to have an abortion but her partner did – after they found out that their child [...]
“Yes,” Bidwell said, “I want to take part in the anti-poverty campaign.” “Excellent,” the chairman replied. “We’re meeting here for the next several days to renew our mandate. If you’re interested, we’ve got openings for the right sort of people.” Hoping he was the right sort of person, Bidwell agreed to an interview. “Join me for dinner at my hotel,” the [...]